Depressed People Listen to Sad Music to Calm and Uplift, Says Study

Why Do You Listen to Sad Music When You’re Already Depressed?

Have you ever noticed something calming about a sad song when you’re already down in the dumps? According to a recent study, it turns out that there’s a reason people diagnosed with depression might feel better listening to sad music.

The study, recently published in the journal Emotion, included 76 participants who were diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD). Participants were asked to choose music clips ranging in emotion and energy level. They were also asked which songs they’d like to listen to again in the future.

The results suggest that people with MDD were more likely to choose the sad music. However, it wasn’t because they wanted to remain in a low mood. Instead, researchers found that the participants chose the sad music simply because they preferred low energy music, which in turn, was calming and relaxing. In fact, many of the participants reported feeling more happiness and less sadness when listening to sad music.

The current study, however, wasn’t the first to take a look at why depressed people might prefer to listen to sad songs. The first study was published in the journal Sage in 2015, and although it was suggested and agreed upon that those diagnosed with depression preferred listening to sad music, the research at the time did not explain why. According to the team at the University of South Florida, the new study is the “most definitive to date in probing depression-related preferences for sad music using different tasks, and the reasons for these preferences.”

Why sad music might have made those diagnosed with depression feel slightly better is not clear. However, in a 2013 study, even non-depressed people reported a preference for sad songs when feeling down, suggesting that maybe happy and upbeat songs are just more irritating during those times.

So while sad songs might not be a cure for depression or feeling down in the dumps, it looks like it might at least help to soothe and calm, which can be especially helpful during difficult times.